The Hormozgan basin comprises a number of intermittent streams and rivers which drain to the Straits of Hormuz. None of the rivers has a significant fishery. The basin has a catchment of 55,800 sq km. Rainfall is low and sporadic at this southern end of the Zagros Mountains and streams are not always perennial. Qanats are an important feature and there is a hot spring (41°C) at Genu (27°26'N, 56°20'E) just north of Bandar-e Abbas. This area of Iran is rich in salt domes rising to over 1200 m above the surrounding land surface and consequently surface water is often contaminated and stream banks are rimed with salt (Lehner, 1944; Shearman, 1976; Kent, 1979). Some of the islands off this coast are salt plugs, e.g. Hormuz Island. Temperatures in winter are high in the lower streams, 15-33°C, and must be much higher in summer. These warm and saline streams are home to the endemic cichlid, Iranocichla hormuzensis, and so are distinguished from the fresh waters to the north, east and west. This species has been collected in the Minab River where my collections in the 1970s did not find it. The Minab River was therefore included in the Makran basin but may well form the easternmost part of this basin. However the possibility of an introduction of this species to the Minab cannot be ruled out.

The principal river is the Kul with its tributary the Shur (= salt) River. The upper reaches of the Shur lie west of Darab (28°45'N, 54°34'E) and mountains here exceed 3000 m. The headwaters of the Shur approach those of the eastern tributaries of the Mand River basin. The lower valleys parallel the coast and drain eastwards. The Rasul River is a tributary of the Kul, while the Mehran River drains directly into the sea. The Mehran delta lies in the Hara Protected Area (Biosphere Reserve) described by Zehzad et al. (1998). The offshore islands such as Qeshm, are poor in fresh water, but have not been explored. A number of streams cross the plain east of Bandar-e Abbas (27°11'N, 56°17'E) draining the Kuh-e Furgun at 3279 m and associated ranges. Although many streams are salty, a freshwater oasis is found at Sar Khun (27°23'N, 56°26'E).

Several islands in the Persian Gulf are included as part of this basin. The largest island is Qeshm but it lacks rivers although there are some small dams to collect rainwater runoff (A. R. Zeanaie, pers. comm., 1999). Species observed are Aphanius dispar, a mudskipper and the introduced Gambusia holbrooki. Water temperatures reach 32°C.

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